


taking the long way

by lco123



Category: Pretty Little Liars
Genre: Alternate Universe - Rock Band, F/F
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-07-11
Updated: 2016-07-11
Packaged: 2018-07-22 21:30:20
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,369
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7454578
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lco123/pseuds/lco123
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p><i>Just seeing Ali in this place makes Aria feel seventeen again, so full of hope and excitement. It felt like music could take them anywhere, then.</i> </p><p>Band AU. Two years ago Alison DiLaurentis abruptly left the band she’d created to try for a solo career, devastating her bandmates and fans in the process. It’s taken some time, but The Pretty Little Liars have finally regained their sound and their audience. So what happens when Alison decides she’d like to rejoin the Liars?</p>
            </blockquote>





	taking the long way

**Author's Note:**

> So I'll return to "moving slow to the sadness" soon, but this little fic just begged to be written. The title is a reference to my favorite girl-band, the Dixie Chicks, and the song that Ali sings is one of theirs, called "The Long Way Around." I picture the music of The Pretty Little Liars as sort of less countrified versions of Dixie Chicks songs (the song that "Emily wrote" is DC's "Cold Day in July" and the one that "Spencer wrote" is "Bitter End"). I may make an 8tracks playlist for this fic at some point.
> 
> EDIT: So, because all of the songs are by the same artist, 8tracks won't let me upload a playlist. So I've added the song titles here at the bottom with my little annotations, in case anyone feels like looking them up. They're all great songs (made even better if you imagine our Liars wrote them about each other!). Also, I rewrote the summary a little because I think it fits better.
> 
> EDIT #2: So, I apparently can't leave this little story alone. Now I've added some lyrics from each song down below. Gives you a sense of them if you don't feel like listening to an entire playlist of music. :)

They get the news on a Saturday.

Aria is at the Brew, tuning her bass, when Spencer walks in looking concerned. “Have you seen Emily?” Spencer asks. Aria shakes her head and plays a G. It still doesn’t sound right. She sets her bass down.

“What’s going on?” she asks, motioning for Spencer to sit in the chair beside her. They have about an hour left before the show—not really a show, more of a homecoming after four months on tour—and for now it’s just the two of them. Mona had to chat with Hanna about something (Mona always has to chat with Hanna about something) and Emily had an errand of some such to run. Aria didn’t catch many details. She usually doesn’t right before a show.

Spencer sighs and sags against the chair. “Hey,” Aria says. “What’s happening in that brain of yours?” She reaches over without really thinking about it and grabs Spencer’s hand, interlacing their fingers. Spencer let her put a coat of dark blue polish on her nails yesterday but it’s already starting to chip. She's been biting her nails again.

Spencer smiles very slightly when Aria starts tracing figure-eights against the meat of her palm. Her expression darkens again, though, when she speaks. “Ali’s back,” Spencer says softly. “Not just in town." She takes a deep breath. "She wants back in.”

 

Emily only wrote one song about Ali leaving, and even though her voice sounds good on it, she always makes Spencer sing it. Spencer doesn’t mind; it’s the role she signed on for when she took over as lead singer. Emily’s song is beautiful, a classic break-up torch song. It doesn’t tell the whole story, though.

Spencer wrote about it too, a gritty “fuck you” of a song that was only softened by Aria’s influence. She doesn’t really like performing either number. They take her back to that time two years ago when she felt angry all the time; when Ali had just abruptly decided that being lead singer of The Pretty Little Liars wasn’t enough for her and that she needed to go solo. It honestly felt like the world was going to end there, for a while, and if it hadn’t been for the girls rallying around her, if it hadn't been for Aria pressing her mouth against Spencer’s ear and whispering, “You can do this,” Spencer honestly doesn’t know how they could have stayed together.

And it’s just like Ali, to show up right when they’re back on track, when they’re flying high on a not-quite-sold-out tour that actually made a little money.

Well, Spencer’s not going to let her ruin everything for them. Not again.

 

Spencer and Aria make the executive decision to not tell Emily and Hanna until after the show. It feels awkward, putting on a happy face—the four of them _never_ lie to each other—but it’s what has to be done. “The show must go on, right?” Aria points out, and Spencer nods sagely.

The show is amazing. The Brew used to be the only place they could play, and that was only because Aria’s ex-boyfriend happened to own it. But in the three years since they broke up, he’s sold the business and the Liars have become an actual success. Not a raging success, but a we-can-make-rent-without-a-day-job success, and for now, that’s good enough for Spencer. It’s at least enough to prove her mother wrong.

After the show, the four of them are so high on the adrenaline of a packed, excited crowd that Spencer nearly forgets for a second about the news she has to share. But Aria gives her a pointed look, and it brings her back down to Earth. Aria’s always good at that.

“We have news,” Aria states ominously.

Hanna and Emily are laughing about something or other, but the tone in Aria’s voice makes them snap back to attention. “What is it?” Emily asks.

Spencer and Aria exchange a glance, and Hanna picks up on it. “What the hell’s going on?” she demands, setting her drumsticks down with a clatter.

“It’s Ali,” Spencer admits. “She called me today.”

“She called you?” Emily whispers. Spencer can hear the hurt in her voice, and it makes her feel sick.

“Yeah,” Spencer replies, pushing through. “I guess…I guess the solo thing hasn’t been working out so well, and she wants back in.”

“Fuck that!” Hanna says automatically.

“Han,” Aria murmurs, glancing pointedly at Emily, who looks like something inside her might be cracking.

“No! Look, she dropped us like a hot potato.” Hanna stands sharply. “Emily knows that more than any of us.”

Emily blinks in Spencer’s direction. “I think what Hanna means—” Spencer tries, feeling positively bewildered.

“Hanna knows what Hanna means,” Hanna snaps.

“What did you tell her?” Emily asks, the softness of her voice almost jarring in the charged room.

“A big part of me wanted to tell her to shove it, honestly,” Spencer replies. “But I said I’d talk it over with you guys.”

“And Mona,” Hanna says quickly. “Any decision we make has to be run by Mona.”

Spencer tries to contain her eye roll as she says, “Yes, and Mona. Who is where, by the way?”

“I’m not totally sure,” Hanna replies.

Spencer raises an eyebrow. “You guys are practically glued at the hip, and you don’t know where she is?”

“We are not!” Hanna says too loudly, a slight pinkness at her cheeks. She waves a hand dismissively. “Anyway, back to Ali.” She sits down next to Emily. “What do you think?”

Emily is quiet for a long moment, her head down. Spencer can’t help but notice that she has one hand on the guitar Ali gave her when she left. It used to be Ali’s, and now Emily plays it every show.

“I think I want to talk to her,” Emily finally says.

Spencer nods. That much she can help with. She pulls a scrap of paper with Ali’s new number on it from her pocket. “Here you go,” she says, handing it to Emily. “She’s staying at The Radley.”

“Not her dad’s place?” Emily questions.

Spencer shrugs. “I don’t like to go home when I come back here either.”

 

Ali isn’t sure what exactly she’s feeling when Emily calls to schedule a coffee date. Just hearing Emily’s voice again tugs at her heart, makes her feel twenty-two and eighteen and thirteen again. It’s taken some time to recognize, but Ali knows it’s true: Emily has always had an effect on her. She wasted so much time being scared of that.

They don’t meet at the Brew, at Emily’s request. Ali gets it. She’s sure the nostalgia of being there together would overwhelm her too. Instead they meet at a coffee shop a few blocks off of the main Rosewood drag. In this town, Ali’s remembering, there really isn’t far to go.

Ali gets there first. She thinks about ordering for them both but that feels too presumptuous. She might not even know Emily’s current coffee order. The least she can do is pay for them both, though, so she waits outside for Emily. 

When she sees her, Ali nearly loses her breath. Emily looks pretty much the same—it’s only been two years, after all, though right now that feels like a lifetime—but that 'same' is still incredibly, shockingly beautiful. She’s dressed in her typical lesbian guitarist fashion, a look that Ali has really grown to love: ripped jeans, converse, a flannel unbuttoned over a gray tank top. Her hair is the same length but as she gets closer Ali can see she has a few more piercings in her ears, and a tattoo on her left forearm.

“Hi,” Ali greets, trying to inject some warmth into that syllable.

“Hey,” Emily says guardedly. “It’s—uh—it’s good to see you.”

“You don’t have to lie,” Ali says softly when Emily barely meets her eyes.

“I’m not,” Emily replies. “Let’s go inside.”

As it turns out, Ali does know Emily’s current coffee order, and Em only resists a little when Ali offers to pay. By the time they make it over to a little table, Ali is actually feeling the enormity of being here with Emily, and her stomach is doing loops.

“I owe you an apology,” she starts. Emily glances up sharply but says nothing. “I never, ever should have left like that. I shouldn’t have left at all, really, but especially not like that.”

Emily’s eyes are moist as she asks, “Was it me?” The brokenness of her voice is like a knife to Ali’s heart.

“No!” Ali insists. “It was me. It was all me. I think I had to go off on my own, to realize how good I had it.”

“It’s hard to ignore the timing, Ali,” Emily says, tilting her head to one side. “We finally slept together for the first time and you left three days letter. No calls, no texts. And then to find out you were married, not even from you directly…”

“I’m not anymore,” Ali rushes to tell her. “That was a terrible mistake. Em, you have to believe me. I miss you all so much.” Ali can feel her own tears welling, but she pushes through. “I was scared. I thought that being in a group meant I could never stand out, but the truth is I need you.” She shrugs sadly. “Probably more than you need me, to be honest.”

“And what about you and I?” Emily asks. “Am I just supposed to ignore how you treated me?”

“Of course not, Em,” Ali replies. “I don’t think you’ll give me another chance, but I’d take just being your friend. And if you ever change your mind—”

“I don’t see that happening anytime soon,” Emily says sharply.

Ali nods. It hurts, but she’d prepared herself for that. “Okay. Just please know: you were the hardest one to leave behind.”

Emily blinks a few times, looking up at the ceiling, down at the table, anywhere but at Ali. Finally she meets Ali’s eyes, and Ali feels like she can exhale. “I’ll talk to the other girls,” she says softly.

Ali smiles. “Thank you.”

“If you leave again—”

“I won’t,” Ali says. “I promise.”

Emily sighs. “It’s okay if you don’t want me or the band. Just don’t disappear on us again.”

Ali wants to take Emily’s hand, but that feels like pushing her luck, so instead she murmurs, “I give you my word. I’m here.”

She thinks she sees something soften in Emily’s face as she says, “Okay.”

 

“Emily’s going to invite her back in, I know it,” Hanna groans, stretching her arms overhead. The sheet that she’s been wrapped in slips down, her breasts perky and _right there_ , and damn: how did Mona get so lucky?

“She can invite her back,” Mona replies, managing to keep her gaze at Hanna’s eye level. “Doesn’t mean Ali will _come_ back. There are things to be done.”

“What, like having her killed?” Hanna asks with a smirk, flinging an arm over Mona’s middle and and pulling her closer. 

Mona giggles, rolling to face Hanna and wrapping her arms around her neck. “Sure, I can arrange that.”

“Poison,” Hanna suggests. “A sniper.”

“I love it when you talk dirty,” Mona purrs, kissing her way up Hanna’s jaw. Hanna breathes in sharply—Mona lives for that sound—but then gently pushes Mona away.

“Seriously, baby,” Hanna says. “You’re our manager. What do you think?”

Mona frowns, propping her head on her arm. “I think I’ve heard a lot of stories about Alison, none of them very positive, but that she’s a hell of a talent.”

“You’re saying you’d want to represent her,” Hanna surmises.

Mona’s frown melts into a smile. “I’ve told you, sweetheart, that I want to represent _you_. I’d follow you anywhere.” Hanna grins, leaning in for a kiss, and Mona happily obliges. “But I’d be lying if I said this wasn’t an opportunity,” she says when they pull back.

“She can be cruel,” Hanna says softly.

Mona smirks. “So can I.”

“Yeah, but you’re you.” She kisses Mona again, slower this time. It almost becomes more before she says, “I want to tell my friends soon.”

Mona raises an eyebrow. “I thought you were concerned about how that would affect the group.” Mona’s been mildly concerned about the same thing, but she’s okay to follow Hanna’s lead here. She just counts her blessings every day that a girl like Hanna Marin wants to be with her.

Hanna shrugs. “You’re worth it.”

 

They have another four days in Rosewood, before the next leg of the tour. Emily plans to make the most of it, spending time with her mom, catching up with the few people she cares about here in town, and hashing out this Ali business. She’s not sure how it’ll work if Ali just joins them on tour, but she’s not too concerned about that part. Ali’s always been good at thinking on her feet.

Emily asks everyone to meet her at the Brew: Aria, Spencer and Hanna, and of course Mona comes too. Which is probably a good thing, in the long run—she _is_ their manager—but it makes Emily roll her eyes anyway.

“I have something to say,” Hanna announces before Emily can say anything.

“You guys are together?” Spencer offers, pointing between Hanna and Mona.

Mona just quirks an eyebrow, but Hanna’s mouth actually drops open.

“Wait, what?” Aria says.

“Sweetie, it’s pretty obvious,” Spencer tells her.

“It is?” Hanna says incredulously.

Emily rolls her eyes again. “Uh, yeah. To apparently everyone except Aria. You guys are together all the time.”

“Mmm hmm,” Spencer agrees. “And Mona may be subtle, but Hanna, you are not.”

Hanna huffs but smiles slightly when Mona takes her hand. “Well, that was anticlimactic,” Mona comments. “Somehow I expected a bit more frostiness from this group.”

“I’m hardly one to judge,” Emily says softly. Spencer gives her a sympathetic look.

“Am I the only one surprised?” Aria asks, bewildered.

Spencer laughs and puts a hand on her shoulder. “It’s okay. You take people at face-value. That’s one of the things I—” Something hitches in her voice, and she quickly tacks on, “I mean, it’s just one of the things we all love about you.”

Emily raises an eyebrow but doesn’t comment on that, instead asking, “So, what are we going to do about Ali? She says she’s in it for the long haul.”

“With you?” Hanna murmurs, wincing when Spencer gives her a hard look.

“No,” Emily says quickly. “I—I don’t know about that. But with the band, yes.”

“Does she want to sing lead again?” Aria asks. “Because I like the way Spence does it.”

Emily shrugs. “I think she’d be up for a compromise.”

Spencer scoffs. “That doesn’t sound like Ali,” she comments.

“I think she’s changed,” Emily says truthfully. The Ali she saw today was more vulnerable and forthright than Emily can ever recall. It was almost unnerving, but not exactly unwelcome.

“Then I say we give her a shot,” Aria says with a smile. “I miss Ali. She’s one of the Liars. She always has been.” Aria looks around the group. “What do you guys say?”

Spencer sighs, but then raises her hand and says, “I’m in.”

“Fuck it,” Hanna says, shaking her head. “I am too. Mona?”

“Let’s give her a chance,” Mona says. “What do you say, Emily?”

Emily blinks slowly. “Okay.”

 

“I can’t believe you’re singing lead,” is one of the first things Ali says to Spencer when the group is finally all together again. Aria tried not to cry when she saw Ali, but she couldn’t help it. Ali was her very best friend, once upon a time. Seeing her felt amazing.

But now she’s making vaguely snarky comments about Spencer, and that just won’t fly. “Spencer does a great job,” Aria quickly points out. “She’s a fantastic leader.”

Ali raises her hands a bit defensively. “Hey, I don’t doubt it. You just don’t see the keyboardist as lead singer very often. That’s more of a guitarist’s thing. Right, Em?” 

Emily looks between a vaguely pissed-off looking Spencer and a smiling Ali. “Uh, there isn’t a hard-and-fast rule, or anything,” she says diplomatically, shooting Aria a look.

Spencer nods. “We didn’t really have much time to think it over,” she comments icily. 

Ali raises both eyebrows, her gaze lowered at the instruments cluttered on the floor of the Brew. Aria wonders what it’s like for her, being back here. Just seeing Ali in this place makes Aria feel seventeen again, so full of hope and excitement. It felt like music could take them anywhere, then. When she hears Spencer sing, she still feels that way sometimes. 

“I’m sure you’re doing a great job,” Ali says.

“She is,” Hanna replies snappily. Aria sees Spencer smiles slightly, and it warms something in her. 

“I’m not angling for your job,” Ali directs to Spencer. “We can work something out.”

Spencer nods. “I know.” She walks toward Ali, pulling her into an awkward, one-armed hug. Ali relaxes against her. “It’s good to have you back.”

Ali looks around the group in surprise. “Am I back?” she asks hopefully.

“We took a vote,” Aria tells her. “Welcome back, Little Liar.”

 

They have one more show before they leave Rosewood, this time at a bigger concert venue across town. Hanna is excited. This whole week has made her feel antsy and anxious, and she’s ready to have her sticks in hand, to beat out a solid, steady rhythm. The day of the show, Hanna and Spencer go out to get provisions: the fixings for Hanna’s signature pre-show cocktail, and some protein-filled snacks that Spencer insists upon.

They’ve only been shopping for a few minutes when Spencer gets a text that makes her grin like a schoolgirl with a crush. “Is that Aria?” Hanna asks.

Spencer looks up, confused. “How can you tell?”

“Because you always smile like that around her,” Hanna replies mildly. “So, when are you going to ask her out?”

Spencer turns red. “I—we’re friends,” she says weakly.

Hanna shrugs. “Mona and I were friends. Ali and Em were friends,” she states.

“Yeah, and look at how well that turned out for them,” Spencer points out. “I don’t know, Han. I like her, I really do, but with the band and our friendship…I just don’t want to mess anything up.”

“Well, _I_ think you’d be great together,” Hanna tells her truthfully. “You guys are crazy about each other. Why deny yourself something that could make you really happy?”

Spencer eyes her cautiously. “You really think she feels the same way?”

Hanna nods. “Absolutely,” she tells her. “I think you should go for it.”

 

Ali and Spencer spend some time before the show working out who will sing what. Emily watches from a few feet away, pretending to be tuning her guitar but actually listening in. She remembers a few times when the two of them got into bitter fights right before a show, and it seemed like they wouldn’t go on. Somehow, they always pulled it together in the end.

But today, Ali and Spencer don’t appear to be fighting, and are instead very cordially working it out. They aren’t playing anything new—nothing Ali wrote in her two years away or that the Liars came up with while she was gone. It’s old classics time, and the crowd will love it.

Afterward, Ali walks over to Emily. “You were watching us, weren’t you?” she observes.

“Yeah,” Emily admits, eyes still trained on her guitar. “Wasn’t sure how it would go.”

“I want to make this work,” Ali tells her. “Spencer does too.”

Emily looks up at Ali. In two years she hasn’t gotten any less pretty, and it kills Emily how much she notices that. “I know. I appreciate you working so hard.”

Ali crouches down so they’re level with one another. Emily can actually smell her perfume, fruity and sweet. The scent makes her dizzy with remembrance. That night in the hotel. Ali kissing her way down Emily’s body. Emily finally, finally knowing what Ali tasted like between her legs. And then just a few days later…

“I’d do anything for you to trust me again,” Ali tells her. “I’ll let you get back to work.”

Emily wants to tell her to stay, but she lets her go. She tries to get back to work, but she can’t get the smell of Ali’s perfume out of her head.

 

An hour before the show, Spencer walks backstage to find Aria doing her makeup. “Hey!” Aria greets. “Want me to do yours?”

“Sure,” Spencer replies. “Where is everyone?”

Aria shrugs. “I think Hanna and Mona are ‘talking’—code for making out—and I have no clue what Ali and Em are up to.”

“Do you think they’ll get back together?” Spencer asks, leaning against the counter to watch Aria apply glitter to the corners of her eyes.

Aria looks at her for a moment, then faces the mirror once more. “Yeah,” she says after a beat. “I actually think they will.”

They fall into a comfortable silence then, Spencer watching Aria and Aria watching the mirror. If Aria is creeped out by Spencer looking at her, she doesn’t say anything. Eventually Aria finishes up and moves over to Spencer. “Close your eyes,” she instructs, readying the powder. Spencer doesn’t really know what’s happening, but she feels a tiny brush moving over her eyelids and into the creases. “Open,” Aria tells her after a few minutes, and Spencer does so.

Aria blinks a few times, as though surprised. “You’re so pretty,” she says softly, and that does it for Spencer. She gently tugs the brush out of Aria’s hand, cups her face, and kisses her.

Aria reacts immediately, wrapping her arms around Spencer’s waist and pulling her close, kissing back deeply. She moves back for a second with a giggle. “I’ve been waiting for you to do that all year,” she says.

“I don’t know why it took me so long,” Spencer breathes out with a smile, fluttering her eyes closed.

Aria kisses her again, then whispers, “We’re smudging the makeup.”

“It’s okay,” Spencer says. “C’mere, little big one.”

 

“You guys look happy,” Ali says to Spencer and Aria once they’re all backstage. Spencer glances down pointedly at their clasped hands, and Ali grins slowly. “So that’s how it is,” she says. “Good for you.”

Hanna cackles and pulls Aria and Spencer into a two-person hug, and Emily murmurs, “Congrats, guys.”

“Okay, ladies! Enough gaying around. We’ve got a show to do!” Mona announces as she sweeps backstage. She gives them all a once-over. “Good, good—Hanna, you look hot as hell—alright, let’s do this!”

Ali didn’t even realize she was nervous until they funnel outside. This is worse than talking to Emily. Or maybe better. This is everything. She’s here. 

There are two mics set up at the front. Ali walks forward and picks up her guitar, Spencer gets into position at her keyboard. Emily is at Ali’s right with her own guitar and mic stand, Aria’s at Spencer’s left with her bass, and Hanna’s in the back on drums. The crowd cheers, and Ali starts to play. She doesn’t have to think about it; it’s like muscle memory. They’re one unit, moving together in harmony.

The songs feel familiar and comfortable in her hands, and Spencer’s voice blends surprisingly well with her own. They don’t really chat with the crowd—that’s never been their deal—but Ali does make a crack about how good it is to have a real lead singer back in the band, and Spencer good-naturedly flips her off.

And then comes the moment Ali’s been half-dreading all night. Their set is supposedly done, but Ali has one last trick up her sleeve. Just as the girls are filing off-stage, post-encore, Ali says, “I actually have one last number here for you guys. I’m just going to grab my acoustic and I’ll be right back.”

The four girls look at her with concern. Ali knows they hate when she pulls stuff like this, but this time it’s for a good reason. “You guys can go backstage,” she murmurs just to them. “This is for you to listen to.”

Ali grabs her acoustic guitar and a stool from backstage and comes back to the crowd. “Thanks, guys, for hanging with me for one more song,” she says. “This is something of an apology, and something of an explanation.” And with that she begins to sing, the words soft and lilting at first but building up strength:

 

_My friends from high school_

_Married their high school boyfriends_

_Moved into houses in the same ZIP codes_

_Where their parents live_

 

_But I, I could never follow_

_No I, I could never follow_

 

Ali glances to her right and sees Emily hovering at the corner of the curtain, her face confused and curious. Ali keeps singing.

 

_I hit the highway in a pink RV with stars on the ceiling_

_Lived like a gypsy_

_Six strong hands on the steering wheel_

 

_I've been a long time gone now_

_Maybe someday, someday I'm gonna settle down_

_But I've always found my way somehow_

 

_By taking the long way_

_Taking the long way around_

_Taking the long way_

_Taking the long way around_

 

_I met the queen of whatever_

_Drank with the Irish and smoked with the hippies_

_Moved with the shakers_

_Wouldn't kiss all the asses that they told me to_

 

The crowd laughs at that line, and it makes Ali relax a little, especially since she thinks she heard Spencer’s laugh mixed in there too.

 

_No I, I could never follow_

_No I, I could never follow_

 

_It's been two long years now_

_Since the top of the world came crashing down_

_And I'm getting it back on the road now_

 

_But I'm taking the long way_

_Taking the long way around_

_I'm taking the long way_

_Taking the long way around_

_The long_

_The long way around_

 

This next part is faster, and Ali readies herself with a deep breath. This is what her friends need to hear.

 

_Well, I fought with a stranger and I met myself_

_I opened my mouth and I heard myself_

_It can get pretty lonely when you show yourself_

_Guess I could have made it easier on myself_

 

_But I, I could never follow_

_No I, I could never follow_

 

_Well, I never seem to do it like anybody else_

_Maybe someday, someday I'm gonna settle down_

_If you ever want to find me I can still be found_

 

_Taking the long way_

_Taking the long way around_

_Taking the long way_

_Taking the long way around_

 

As Ali finishes the song, the crowd cheers. She stand with a smile and bows, picking up her guitar and her stool and walking off-stage. Emily is right there, in front of the other girls. “That was beautiful,” she murmurs.

“We’re definitely adding that to our next set,” Spencer comments from behind her. “It would sound really good with some harmonies.”

Ali sets the items down, taking Emily’s hands in her own. “I came back for you,” she tells her. “I want to go on this tour with you knowing the truth. It’s not that I wasn’t successful. It’s not about the band. I mean, I love the band. But I love you more.”

“Really?” Emily breathes.

“Really,” Ali replies. “And I understand if you need more time—”

“I don’t,” Emily cuts her off. “I love you too.”

They’re in the backstage of a sweaty, packed auditorium, but Ali can’t recall her life ever feeling so romantic, especially as Emily pulls her close and kisses her, long and certain.

“See, that’s why I love you,” Ali murmurs when they pull apart for air. “You’re big on happy endings.”

 

* * *

 

_The Pretty Little Playlist (songs by the Dixie Chicks that I'm pretending the Liars wrote)_

_****Wide Open Spaces**  **_ _**  
** _

_"Who's never left home, who's never struck out_

_To find a dream and a life of their own_

_A place in the clouds, a foundation of home"_

This was one of the band's first hits. Aria and Ali wrote it together.

_****Am I The Only One**  **_

_"A heart that's worn and weathered_

_Would know better than to fight_

_But I wore mine like a weapon_

_Played our love like a crime"_

Spencer wrote this song after her breakup with Toby. She enjoys performing it now; the painful emotion has worn off and she can just appreciate that it's a good song.

_****So Hard**    
** _

_"And I'd feel so guilty_

_If that was a gift I couldn't give_

_And could you be happy_

_If life wasn't how we pictured it?"_

Hanna wrote this song in the midst of her breakup with Caleb. It's still a little painful for her to perform, but she loves the way Ali and Spencer sing it.

_**There's Your Trouble**  _

_"There's your trouble, there's your trouble_

_You keep seeing double with the wrong one_

_You can't see I love you, you can't see she (he) doesn't_

_But you just keep holding on"_

Spencer wrote this about Aria (without admitting it was about Aria) when she was still with Ezra.

_**Easy Silence  
** _

_"And everyone is running_

_And I come to find a refuge in the_

_Easy silence that you make for me_

_It's okay when there's nothing more to say to me"_

Ali wrote the first verse of this song, and then Spencer helped her write the rest. This was before Ali left, before Ali got together with Emily and Spencer got together with Aria. But they both knew who each other was writing about.

_**Everybody Knows**  _

_"You say I'll pay the price_

_That's a chance that I'll take_

_Though you may think I'm telling lies_

_But I just call it getting by"_

Ali wrote this song right before she left the band, when she was feeling afraid and confused about who she wanted to be.

_**Cold Day in July** _

_"Your bags are packed and not a word is spoken_

_Guess we said everything with goodbye_

_Time moves so slow when promises get broken"_

This is the song Emily wrote after Ali left. She's only sung it once, but it was too painful, so now she asks Spencer to sing it.

  

_**Bitter End**  _

_"You had a good time, drinking all of our wine_

_After the show_

_We all rode the wave of that crazy parade_

_Oh, where'd you go?"_

Spencer wrote this song after Ali left. The original draft was much angrier, but Aria encouraged her to tone it down and tap into her actual emotions. 

 

_**Loving Arms**  _

_"I've been too long in the wind_

_Too long in the rain_

_Taking any comfort that I can_

_Looking back and longing for_

_The freedom of my chains"_

Ali wrote this song during the time she went solo and was realizing how deeply she loved Emily.

_**The Long Way Around**  _

_"It can get pretty lonely when you show yourself_

_Guess I could have made it easier on myself_

_But I, I could never follow"_

Ali wrote this song not long before she decided to rejoin the band, as a way of sorting out her feelings on her journey.

 

_**I Like It**  _

_"Noisy streets and the sleepy bars_

_And the neon signs and the rusty cars_

_How many nights have I wondered how_

_One goes through life without seeing the beauty of love?"_

Aria wrote this song right after she and Spencer got together. She wrote it with Spencer's voice in mind.

_**I'll Take Care Of You**  _

_"I'll be there, but you might not see me_

_It's never easy to get through_

_But when the laughter dies away_

_Then I'll take care of you"_

Emily and Hanna wrote this song together, about their respective girlfriends.

 

_**Never Say Die**  _

_"Lyin' next to you in the dark_

_I can feel your beating heart_

_You've been here beside me through the test of time"_

Aria wrote this song the day she decided she wanted to marry Spencer.


End file.
